Introduction

A well-known peripheral company, Logitech makes everything from keyboards to webcams to racing wheels, and is generally well regarded. The G series of gaming peripherals has many successful products in its portfolio, and among them is the G13, which Logitech calls an “Advanced Gameboard.” That’s a fancy way of saying “keyboard replacement.”
Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard Review - Evolution or Dud? - General Tech 9

The keyboard has been a mainstay of PC controllers for decades, but its reign has always been one of obvious convenience rather than practicality. The keyboard has many buttons, which can be useful, but it also has many disadvantages. No joysticks, no D-pads, no trigger buttons, no function selectors. Just a bunch of keys, arranged in rows, four of which (WASD, of course) take more abuse than they deserve.

This is a formula that has room for improvement, yet few attempts have been made throughout the years. While this may partly be due to a lack of creativity, it is more likely the result of the keyboard’s widespread popularity. Everyone has a keyboard, so it simply makes sense to program a PC game’s controls to take advantage of it. Any potential replacement has to deal with this obstacle. 

Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard Review - Evolution or Dud? - General Tech 10

Logitech therefor seems like a natural choice for answering the challenge of finding a replacement for the keyboard. A well-known peripheral company, Logitech makes everything from keyboards to webcams to racing wheels, and is generally well regarded. The G series of gaming peripherals has many successful products in its portfolio, and among them is the G13, which Logitech calls an “Advanced Gameboard.” That’s a fancy way of saying “keyboard replacement.”

Credentials aside, this is no easy challenge. Replacing a commonly used controller is like reinventing the wheel. Is it really possible to create a better solution to PC gaming than the keyboard? And even if the answer is yes, is the solution good enough to justify its pricetag?



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